B6 Flashcards
what is an antigen
Any substance that causes the body to make an immune response against that substance
what is an antibody
a protein produced by the body’s immune system when it detects harmful substances, called antigens
what is an example of one bacterial and one viral disease that you can be immunised against
bacterial: Tuberculosis (TB)
viral: hepatitis A
explain how the immune system of your body works
If a pathogen gets past the first line of defence (the non-specific defences), the immune system works to neutralise or destroy the pathogen, preventing or minimising infection.
what is the main difference between drugs like paracetamol and drugs like penicillin
paracetamol: painkiller
penicillin: antibiotic.
Antibiotics work to kill and stop a bacterial infection while it is occurring until the body’s immune system can work to eradicate the infection
describe how alexander Fleming discovered penicillin
Alexander Fleming returned from a holiday to find mould growing on a Petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria. He noticed the mould seemed to be preventing the bacteria around it from growing. He soon identified that the mould produced a self-defence chemical that could kill bacteria.
suggest reasons for using synthetic drug forms rather then using plant extracts directly.
large amounts of them can act as poisons
define the term efficacy
the effectiveness of a specified process at affecting biological organisms
define toxicity
he amount of a drug that, under a specific set of conditions, causes toxic effects or results in detrimental, biological changes.
define dosage
the size or frequency of a dose of a medicine or drug.
explain why an active drug is often used as the placebo in a clinical trial instead of a sugar pill that has no effect
to help understand the real effect of a new treatment
